


25 Days of Christmas: AmeTralia Edition

by hips_of_steel



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Christmas, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-08-29 01:38:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 11,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8470600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hips_of_steel/pseuds/hips_of_steel
Summary: A series of short Christmas fics, one each day of December until Christmas, focusing around a certain Australian spending the holidays with his American boyfriend.





	1. Putting Up Decorations

**Author's Note:**

> Forgive me for these not being the quality of my usual fic. I did these as warm up exercises, but since it's such a rare pair, I wanted to share them with those in the fandom who ship it.
> 
> Also, on Christmas Day, I will be posting a longer AmeTralia fic. I won't say much more about it, but it will be my Christmas gift to the fandom and my fellow AmeTralia shippers.

No one Kyle knew went quite as overboard as Alfred during the holidays season.

It had begun with him desperately digging out a tangled mass of Christmas lights. Kyle had not exactly wanted to untangle all those lights while he was still adjusting to the different time zones, but had begrudgingly done so when Alfred looked at him with those puppy eyes.

Of course, that wasn't enough. Soon, Alfred tested all those different strands of lights, and discovered that only about half of them worked.

"It's because you don't take proper care of them. If you wrapped them up in loops with zip ties..."

"I know, I know, it's just so sad to pull them down after the end of the year..."

Kyle rolled his eyes, and soon enough Alfred was running out the door. "I'll go buy more lights! Can you hang the icicle ones along the eaves of the house."

Kyle made a grumbling agreement in the back of his throat and dressed up warmly before stepping outside. He was reminded as he looked around that Alfred had offered to celebrate Christmas in California.

_"Since it's summer in your place, I thought that might be best. It's pretty cold here."_

_"I said I want a white Christmas, Alfred. Colorado will be fine."_

Now he was regretting his decision.

He hung the lights swiftly, rushing back inside to warm his hands on the coffeepot before pouring himself another mug and drinking the hot liquid gold.

Alfred came back inside laughing. "I got all the lights! Let's get back to work."

"Do we have to? The icicles look nice on their own!" Kyle complained.

But when Alfred was enthusiastic, nothing short of a rampaging bull elephant could stop him, and Kyle was beginning to wonder if that would even work.

The posts on the porch were strung with red and white ropes to resemble candy canes, the real trees decorated with multicolor lights or bright blue LEDs or whatever color Alfred liked on that particular plant.

There was also the giant inflatable Santa, which Kyle immediately vetoed.

"I will not stay here if you put that thing up!"

"But Kyle-"

"No!"

"Please?" Alfred asked, using those puppy eyes again.

This time, Kyle resisted. "You had a snow globe one. Use that."

"But I put them both up..."

"The snow globe only!"

Finally, after much pouting and pleading, Alfred relented, and Kyle thanked the merciful God which had allowed him to win this fight.

Or, he would have if he hadn't woken up the next morning to find an entire nutcracker army had been set to face his side of the bed. He sat up in fright, but managed to kill the noise escaping his throat before it reached his mouth, resulting in nothing more than an undignified squeak

He glanced over, to where his stupid American boyfriend was peacefully sleeping. He took a deep breath, trying to not do anything too stupid.

Then he saw that face pull back into a smile.

"ALRIGHT, JACKASS, YOU HAD YOUR FUN!" He said, and Alfred definitely was wide awake before Kyle completely tackled him.

A 'no holiday decorations in the bedroom' rule was quickly established after that.


	2. Making Christmas Cards

"Whatcha doing?" America asked as he sipped at his ice cold soda. Kyle didn't understand how he could drink that with the wind picking up outside.

"Making Christmas cards."

Alfred blinked in shock as he looked at the intricate patterns Kyle was cutting out of the paper. "You mean you actually handmade all our cards every year?"

"Yeah. It's kinda nice to make them for family."

"What about everyone else?"

Kyle, without even looking, pointed to the box of standard cards. "They get those. Except Russia. His birthday and Christmas are so close he gets a handmade one as well. I always send out handmade birthday cards."

"You send Ivan a birthday card?"

"Yeah. First time I did, I got a thankful phone call and spent thirty minutes trying to tell him it wasn't a big deal as he cried into the phone. After that, I just kept doing it. He's not a particularly bad guy."

Alfred shrugged, and watched as Australia glued down the next tiny snowflake on a card likely meant for Canada, given all those little polar bears. 

"Why do you like making these cards? I honestly don't think I've seen you sit that still for so long before?" Alfred said, and it was true. Kyle wasn't twitching or standing up to walk around every five minutes, which he usually did.

_If medications worked on countries, he'd need the strongest ADHD meds money could provide._

"Well, Canada used to do it with me and Avery. And sometimes Wales and Scotland would sit and help as well, and we'd make all of England's Christmas cards. It was nice."

Alfred could imagine. He had never got to spend quality time in England's house like the rest of them. England had always left America to fend for himself to a certain extent. But after the revolution, all of the little colonies grew up in London.

He spotted one under the others. It was a beautiful blue. He reached for it. "Who's that one for?"

"Paws off, Alfred!"

America grinned. "Oh, so that one's mine, huh? What does it look like?"

Australia glanced up at him and answered with a perfect poker face . "Has a drawing of a dick since you are one."

Alfred laughed, and soon even Kyle cracked a smile as a soft kiss was placed on his lips.


	3. Sitting/Snuggling in Front of the Fireplace with Hot Cocoa/Tea

Kyle had just settled into the couch with his cup of cocoa when Alfred sat down with a hot mug of...

"America, are you drinking holiday tea?"

"Oh, shut up!"

Australia laughed so hard. "YOU STILL DRINK TEA?!"

"I have a particular craving for mint tea at Christmas, okay?! Don't judge me!"

"Oh, you're being judged whether you like it or not. So, what do you do when summer comes along?"

"To be fair, England claims iced tea is an 'abomination' and 'not real tea', so it doesn't count."

"Yeah, 'cause England makes 'real tea'. China would disagree. And India, and everyone in that area of the world."

"You got to live with Hong Kong for a few years. Did he make 'real tea'?"

"Yep, and you can bet your balls it was better than what England made."

"Not hard to bet. Tea is the only thing England is capable of making without setting things on fire."

Kyle laughed, taking a sip of the cocoa. It was perfect. Milk and Nesquik, heated in the microwave to perfection. He leaned against Alfred, and Alfred chuckled.

"What?"

"You've got a cocoa mustache. It looks nice!"

Kyle nearly shoved America off the sofa. "Fuck you too!"

But Alfred grabbed his mug before he could object, setting it down on the nearby coffee table before bringing their lips crashing together.

Kyle could taste mint on Alfred's lips, and Alfred tasted chocolate.

Soon, their hot drinks had been abandoned in favor of fully fledged making out.

And when Alfred had to dump the now cold drinks the next morning, he couldn't bring himself to care.


	4. Shopping For Gifts

The woman glanced up in surprise as Alfred asked for a man's wedding ring, and then smiled softly. "He's a lucky guy. How long have you been together?"

Of course, America couldn't answer that truthfully. Hell, he could barely pull off his current "legal age" of twenty five. Soon he'd have to start over again, and scrap his favorite identity for about twenty years.

"Five years. Officially three, but there was two years where it was on and off."

She smiled, pulling out the rings. "Well, look and see what you like."

Alfred gazed at the bands of metal. He and Kyle had promised to split paths in two separate cars and meet up for lunch. He hoped Kyle wouldn't come here and see him.

Officially, of course, they would never be married. At least not in any sort of way two nations married. But their governments couldn't stop the personifications from marrying using their human aliases.

He and Kyle had never felt the need. For one, they were still technically a young couple compared to the others. Of course, Europe was a mess of ex's and current and future partners. Meanwhile, Kyle and Alfred had both been separated from anyone they might be comfortable dating by oceans and mountains and continents.

But Alfred was ready to state to his president and his congress what he was. If they didn't like the answer of "raging homosexual", then they could all go and fuck themselves.

He finally picked a ring. It was a simple gold band, and the woman smiled.

"Wait, can I get this engraved?" He asked as she took it.

She nodded. "Yes. You can pick a font and type the message into a computer, and the engraving will be done in a few minutes."

Alfred nodded, and she showed him over to the machine as he typed in the phrase he wanted. She smiled when he showed her.

"He might laugh, but he'll love it."

"Yeah, he'd better!"

***

Kyle hated when he was flocked in a store like this. The second he spoke with his accent, it was like all the nearby women just gravitated towards him.

Finally, he shook his head as one woman expressed just how much she'd like him to take her home with him. "Look, lady, my boyfriend is the jealous type, and he doesn't believe in sharing."

That put an end to that, and he breathed in a sigh of relief as he looked over all the pieces of jewelry/adornments he could buy for said boyfriend.

The young man behind the counter glanced at him. "Can't decide?"

"Nothing seems to say 'I'm perfect for the person you love'." Kyle commented wryly. "It's hard to buy things for the man who has everything."

The man laughed. "Ah, one of those people. My dad was like that."

"What did your mom do?"

"Well, bought him more things that basically were useless. She always had a saying, though. 'If a man has everything, it means he has the person he loves the most too.'"

Kyle smiled. "Sounds like your mom was a pretty wise woman."

The man nodded, and then looked at Kyle. "So, you thinking about marrying your man?"

Kyle chuckled. "Yeah, if I can convince him."

"Wedding watch or ring?"

Kyle shrugged, and the man pulled out a pocket watch. Kyle blinked at it. It was old and clearly needed some polishing. He stepped over and glanced at it, and nearly laughed when he saw the name engraved in the lid.

The young man behind the counter smiled. "Did I chose a good one? A woman came in and sold this to us a few weeks ago. Normally, we won't buy things like these, especially when they've been personalized, but this was such an antique."

Kyle grinned. "It's perfect."

They discussed the price, and then Kyle paid up. He smiled as the man tucked the watch into a box.

"So, tell me... did the woman who sold this to you have a story behind it?"

The man smiled brightly before he began.

***

They met up at a restaurant, both grinning as the snow began to fall.

"So, presents found?"

"Indeed they are."

Alfred laughed, and Kyle grinned.


	5. Buying the Christmas Tree

"Why do we care where the tree is from?"

"Because Oregon grows amazing trees!"

"Kyle, this isn't even your freaking country."

"Any Australian who has ever built a home knows about Oregon wood."

"They grow Douglas fir in Washington too, you know. Besides, they aren't the best Christmas trees. Grand firs are better. Or even better yet, noble firs."

Kyle crossed his arms as Alfred drove, but finally America sighed.

"There's a place up ahead. You aren't the only one with a weird Oregon tree fascination. But I told you, it won't be a big one like if we go and cut one down on my property."

Kyle shrugged. He wanted to see the trees.

The place was set up. Alfred mumbled about how all these trees were already drying out and would be a disappointment to anyone growing trees in the great state of Oregon, but Kyle swiftly asked if they had any Douglas firs.

The man pointed to a section in the back, and Kyle rushed over.

"So this is the famous tree..."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Yeah. We could have gotten a noble fir."

Kyle smacked him lightly. "You said I could have an Oregon Christmas tree."

They stuck tongues out back and forth until they chose a tree. In the end, they went with a noble fir, much to Alfred's great relief as he examined the branches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many years ago, my uncle was an exchange student in Australia and my grandparents went to see him and travel through Australia and New Zealand. When they arrived in Australia and told people they were from Oregon, they were asked "Oregon? Like Oregon wood?"  
> Oregon exports a huge amount of Douglas fir wood every year, and my family actually owns some timber stands. It's one of the best woods when it comes to building homes, so my grandparents enjoy telling this story to us.


	6. Decorating the Christmas Tree

Kyle liked handmade ornaments, even if he never had the patience to make them. Hell, he never usually had super fancy decorations on his tree. Over the years, all his fancy ornaments had been gifts from England, and well...

Fancy breakable ornaments didn't usually survive more than a year in his house.

So after looping lights around the tree, he was fine watching Alfred leaning on tiptoes to place the glass star on top of the tree.

And then they started to pull ornaments out of the box.

"How do you keep all this stuff safe during the year? It seems to all be in good shape." He said, handing ornaments over to Alfred and putting up a few himself.

"I wrap them up carefully in newspaper at the end of every year, put them in a big crate, and shove it into the back of my attic so it's safe and sound until next Christmas."

Kyle noted several ornaments that had undoubtedly come from England as he pulled out another. "None of mine ever survive more than a year or two."

"To be fair, you have two kids running around your house." Alfred said, as if this was clearly the reason why ornaments were so often broken.

Kyle snorted. "Yeah, except I break more of them than Hutt River or Wy."

Alfred froze, glancing at all the fragile ornaments he now had hanging on the tree, and then took a protective stance around it. "Keep your distance."

Kyle stepped forward as if to be a menace, but then just grabbed Alfred's shirt and pulled him in close for a kiss.

Both laughed a little, and soon enough, with a tape line on the floor, Kyle and Alfred established how close was too close to the tree.


	7. Mistletoe

Kyle should have known Alfred would do this.

He should have fucking known.

Yet he found himself caught unaware as Alfred stood on the porch, pointing at the small lip over the door, where a piece of mistletoe hung. "Coming inside will cost you a kiss."

The Australian lets out a long sigh. He is cold from the snow on the ground, and wants nothing more than to enter the house, but pride makes him turn around. "Not doing it."

Alfred laughs. "You'll have to come inside eventually. It's not like the cost is very high."

Kyle flops down into the snow and begins to cover his body to stay warm. "Nope."

Alfred shakes his head, sipping at his coffee. "Building a snow cave, are we?"

"Perhaps." He closes his eyes and pretends to be settling in for the winter. "It will be warm enough for now."

Alfred rolls his eyes. Kyle knows from experience given the tone Alfred uses next.

"They say pride will be the death of me... yet there you are."

Kyle waits until he hears footsteps coming across the snow to open his eyes. Alfred kneels down next to him, and they gaze at each other for a while.

Kyle smiles, and pulling the upper half of his body out of the snow, he uses an arm to pull the American closer. Alfred laughs.

"So a kiss in the snow is fine, but god forbid a kiss under the mistletoe?"

"Shut up." Kyle says, and then to ensure the desired effect, covers Alfred's lips with his.

It's a blissful second of silence, and then Alfred pulls back. "You are freezing cold."

Kyle snorts. "And whose fault was that for putting mistletoe over the door?"

Alfred laughs, and swiftly the pair unburies Kyle's legs. Kyle grins as they stumble towards the door.

Alfred is so worried about getting his lover inside and warm that he is startled when Kyle suddenly stops him and kisses him. Alfred is blinking in confusion, and so Kyle points up. Alfred glances up and sees the mistletoe.

Kyle chuckles. "Now we can go in."

Alfred glares at his lover before ungracefully dropping him. "Fuck off, jackass."

Kyle laughs as he stand back up and closes the door. "Love you too."


	8. Making A Snowman

Kyle grinned when Alfred suggested they make a snowman.

"Hell yeah! This is the whole reason I came here!"

"Just to make snowmen? As your boyfriend, I take insult."

Kyle snuck out his tongue. "I wanted a white Christmas, Yankee. I wanted snow. Otherwise, we'd be in 'Straya for Christmas with the kids and you'd be complaining about the heat."

Alfred rolled his eyes, but as they both bundled up, he grinne at his luck this year. He had honestly expected he was going to have Kyle's two little micronations as well for the holidays, but apparently the Australian had earned enough cookie points with his younger sibling to just drop them off at New Zealand's house for the whole month he was here.  
Avery deserved a raise in whatever amount Kyle was paying them, in Alfred's opinion. He didn't want to have Oscar and Zoe to worry about when he just wanted to tell Kyle exactly what he'd like to do to him at night.

"Oi, earth to Alfred!"

Alfred glanced up, realizing Kyle was already pulling on hat and scarf. "I'm gonna be out in the snow long before you can even pull on your boots if you don't hurry up!"

Alfred grinned, grabbing boots and yanking them on. "I accept that challenge, Aussie!"

"Oh, you're on!"

In the end, Kyle burst out the door only moments before Alfred, laughing. "Ha! Beat that, Al!"

Alfred sped out of the doorway and slammed the Aussie to the ground, knocking the wind out of him. He grinned. "Feeling beat yet?"

"Jesus Christ, Al, are you trying to break my ribs?" Kyle muttered, sitting up. He glanced around. "Alright, where are we gonna put the little fucker?"

Alfred had a sudden idea. "Right outside the bedroom window."

"I SAID NO DECORATIONS IN THE BEDROOM!" Kyle half shrieked, shoving Alfred completely off of him.

"But a snowman would not be inside the bedroom, just looking in from the outside!" Alfred grinned.

"So when I wake you up because there's a serial killer outside the window, we'll be able to set the snowman on him. Excellent." Kyle said, sarcasm dripping through his voice.

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Alright, where do you want him?"

Kyle glanced around and pointed to the path that lead into the forest behind the house. "There."

They walked over and swiftly got to work. Alfred let Kyle roll up the snow and pat it together while he gathered rocks for buttons (and eyes and a smile), a scarf he didn't really care about, along with a hat and a carrot.

He came back to find Kyle had already found some sticks. "Good, he'll have arms!"

"Feel sorry for the bloke. No legs."

"Maybe he gets around by rolling." Alfred suggested as he offered up the rocks and carrot.

"There's a horror movie waiting to happen." Kyle said with a grin. "Perhaps I ought to write that, and then invite you to the premiere-"

"I will murder you where you stand if you write a horror movie about everything that is good in childhood Christmas." Alfred said, shoving the hat over the snowman's imaginary ears without looking at his boyfriend. "I need to feel happy again for all the rest of my existence."

Kyle laughed, and then wrapped the scarf around the snowman. "There."

They stepped back to admire their work. Three rock buttons on the midsection, red scarf around the neck, two rock eyes and a rock smile, a carrot for a nose, and a green hat.

"It's a pretty nice snowman." Alfred said, wrapping his arm around Kyle.

Kyle nodded. "Yeah. It is."

They grinned for a few seconds, and then Alfred kissed his boyfriend, but it was a fast kiss, and he broke away to run. "Beat you can't beat me back to the house!"

Kyle snorted before rushing after him. "No fair! Head start!"

"You had one last time!"

"Only because you shoved your head in the clouds after you suggested going outside!"

"I was fantasizing!" Alfred said, running up the steps and onto the porch. He threw open the door and got inside moments before Kyle.

Kyle raised an eyebrow after he had closed the door behind him, and then snorted. "God. I'm not even gonna ask about what."

They both burst out laughing, and then Alfred grinned. "Come on. Let's go get warmed up."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, there's been a lot of power outages where I'm living as we're in the middle of a snow/freezing rain storm, and without power I don't have internet. I hope I can keep updating every day, but if you suddenly see me missing, that's why.


	9. Wearing Ugly Sweaters

It wasn't very often that Kyle got to say he had embarrassed Alfred. After all, it was hard to publicly embarrass a man who truly believed the phrase "A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand". But sometimes, just sometimes, Kyle got to see Alfred a blushing mess over something in public.

"Kyle, I swear to God, if you pull off your jacket and show the world your sweater before we get to the party, I will murder you."

"What? I thought the upside down Christmas tree was a nice touch. Besides, I'd think you have more reason to be embarrassed."

"Whether or not you've seen the movie, you know it's a reference, Kyle! It's a cultural touchstone the same way most people have seen The Princess Bride!"

Kyle snorted. The ugly sweater party was such an American tradition. If they tried to have such a Christmas event in Oz, everyone would have just melted into a puddle.

He smiled as they passed a small group of people, whispering low enough that only Alfred could hear, but would be concerned about his citizens overhearing.

"You just don't like the fact I have basically have an arrow pointing at my dick."

"I swear to God you will die if you say that again!" Alfred muttered, his face turning scarlet.

"You have a sexy leg lamp on your sweater!" Kyle said with a laugh as they continued to walk.

"You are dead to me." Alfred muttered.

They finally reached the house where the party was being held. Kyle grinned as he finally took off his jacket.

"Hail Santa." He grinned, giving Alfred a peck on the cheek.

Alfred took a deep breath. "Be glad I like you, Aussie. Be very glad."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold the sweaters (I had issues even getting the pictures in so please don't complain about the size differences).  
> Also, go watch A Christmas Story if you haven't, because the leg lamp will be explained.


	10. Making Holiday Treats

Kyle awoke to the noise of something falling in the kitchen, and a muffled curse. He sat up, glancing around, and then his eyes fell on the empty spot in the bed. He chuckled, crawling out of bed and yanking on a pair of long johns and shorts. The house wasn't cold, but it wasn't exactly warm right now either.

He came downstairs and spotted an omelette sitting on the table. Alfred was already halfway through his.

"If you want anything else for breakfast, you'd better get it fast, because you're not getting in the kitchen again until lunchtime." Alfred stated.

Kyle realized that the counters are covered in bags of chocolate chips, coconut, and other materials, and there's a fifty pound sack of flour and sugar.

"Ah, it's Christmas baking day."

Alfred nodded. "Yep."

After the breakfast dishes had been cleared, Alfred began. Huge bowls of cookie dough were promptly being turned out, and after they were covered in plastic wrap, Kyle moved them onto the back porch to chill, as the fridge was swiftly filled.

Then Alfred moved to the candies, and soon he had marshmallows melting.

"Whatcha making now?"

"Fudge."

Kyle was up in an instant. "Okay, I gotta see how you make your fudge. It's too delicious not to be laced with something."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "I told you, I use Baker's unsweetened chocolate along with the marshmallows and everything else. That's why it's so good."

Kyle leaned over Alfred's shoulder, chuckling. "Yeah, not buying that story. You're clearly lacing it."

Alfred laughed. "With what, exactly?"

"Cocaine, meth. You know, something highly addictive."

"Like chocolate."

"A likely story." Kyle said, wrapping his arms around Alfred and setting his chin on his shoulder. Alfred chuckled and hummed a few of the songs playing on the radio as he stirred at the hot gooey substance on the stove.

It was comfortable to be there, and neither objected to the other. Finally, Alfred sighed. "Sorry, Ky. You've got to move so I can move if you want the fudge to turn out right."

Kyle stepped back and then glanced over at the pans as Alfred poured in the chocolate. "Need any help?"

"See the butter? Grease the sides and bottoms of the pans so the fudge will actually come out."

Kyle nodded and did as asked, glancing over at Alfred. He knew that everyone accused almost all of the former colonies for having about as much taste as England (and to be fair, they probably all had slightly damaged tastebuds thanks to him, but they also had good food, for Christsakes!), but America's cookies and candies, no matter how brightly colored, were usually pretty good. Kyle also knew Alfred felt a little upset when people even refused to try his goodies.

For gods sakes, the French frog had taught America how to make cookies and candies! Clearly he had skills!

Anyhow, pans greased, Kyle came back over to watch, and soon Alfred handed him a spoon. "Okay, scrape it into the pans for me."

Kyle did as asked, and soon two pans of fudge were cooling on the porch. Kyle came back in and found Alfred with two spoons, scraping out the bottom and edges of the fudge pan.

Alfred smiled when Kyle leaned over across the counter, stretching out an expectant hand. Alfred handed him a spoon. "For dutifully putting things on the porch, I award you this spoon of fudge."

Kyle chuckled, but then Alfred reached his spoon out across the counter, offering it to Kyle. Kyle realized what he was doing, and stretching out his arm, offered his spoon to Alfred.

The grinning couple fed each other the fudge off their spoons, and then Alfred came around the counter and Kyle grinned before wrapping his arms around the American and kissing him.

It was the little moments like this, with no pressure to be nations, that gave them the courage to keep pushing forward through wars and hard times. Kyle was glad that he had been able to come here this year.

Alfred finally pulled away. "So, I think it's time for lunch."

"Alright. You go rest, I'll make sandwiches."

Alfred smiled and Kyle went over to the fridge, digging past the cookie dough for the lunchmeat.

It really was the moments like these that made life worth living.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for this being so late, although it is still December 10th where I am! I was running around doing things today, and will be doing the same tomorrow, so expect tomorrow's chapter a little later as well (although not as late as today)!


	11. Snogging By The Fireplace

It started out as them watching a movie (albeit, not very closely). Alfred's damn sofa was large enough to spoon on, and Kyle had spent the greater part of the evening being the little spoon. When Alfred had suggested it at first, Kyle had protested, but then Alfred pointed out he'd be able to stretch and fidget better as the little spoon, and Kyle had finally relented.

The movie had ended, but they stayed in place. The wood stove occasionally crackled and the wood behind the glass shifted. Alfred pulled Kyle closer to him, and Kyle curled back, sighing as he felt his eyes try to drift shut.

_No sleeping yet. It is six o'clock and you want to actually feel rested tomorrow afternoon._

"Hey, are you falling asleep?" Alfred asked.

"My eyes are resting." Kyle answered, a sarcastic tone creeping into his voice.

"Good. Don't need the sleeping Australian log to pin me in place."

Kyle gave Alfred a quick flip of the middle finger, and felt the American trying to hold back a snort. He grinned as he set his hand back down.

A few moments, Alfred began to shift. At first, it was small, but then Alfred almost dislodged Kyle completely from the couch, the spooning clearly over.

Kyle still didn't open his eyes. "And you say I fidget!" But before he could make another comment to the American, he felt a hand on his face.

Kyle had to admit, that had him opening his eyes up pretty quick.

Alfred was halfway over him, smiling down. "Morning, beautiful."

Kyle rolled his eyes. "What is this, some cowboy esque attempt at flirting? It isn't morning and I am not-"

"Fine. Good evening, devastatingly handsome and very much constantly complaining." Alfred said, and then brought their lips together.

Kyle kissed him back, and when Alfred pulled away, he chuckled. "If you wanted to snog you could have just asked."

Alfred stuck out his tongue, and Kyle laughed before bringing their lips together once more.

Eventually, the fire went out, but the couple had moved into another room, not exactly caring. By the time the last ember had faded away, the two men were fast asleep in the master bedroom, curled up together under a thick layer of blankets.


	12. Watching A Classic Holiday Film

"We're watching what?" Kyle called out from the kitchen as he was making popcorn.

"A Christmas Story." Alfred responded, getting the DVD player ready to start.

"Why are we watching a movie about the birth of Jesus? England drilled that story into both of us."

"No, not The Christmas Story, A Christmas Story. You know, the one where the kid wants a BB gun!"

There was silence. And then Kyle could be heard groaning.

"This is just because I teased you about your sweater, isn't it?!"

Alfred grinned. "Maybe!"

Once they had settled down with their popcorn, Alfred hit play. He knew that despite the bitching and complaining, this movie was one of Kyle's favorites, as much as it was his.

And soon enough he was proven right when Kyle leaned over and delivered the line along with the narrator in the movie. "In the heat of battle, my father wove a tapestry of obscenity that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan."

Alfred grins. "Sounds about right for England, doesn't it?"

They spent the rest of the movie quoting back and for at each other.

Alfred: "I CAN'T PUT MY ARMS DOWN!"

Kyle: "I triple dog dare you!"

Kyle: "The Bumpus hounds! Da da da da dah da!"

Alfred: "Fra-gi-lay. Must be Italian."

Kyle: "I think that says fragile, dear."

Alfred: "A major award!"

Alfred: "The old man loved bargaining as much as an Arab trader, and he was twice as shrewd."

Kyle: "My old man's spare tires were only tires in the academic sense. They were round. They had once been made of rubber."

Both: "Oh, fudge! Only I didn't say 'fudge'. I said the word. The big one. The Queen mother of dirty words. The 'f, dash, dash, dash' word. It was all over. I was dead. What would it be? The guillotine? Hanging? The chair? The rack? The Chinese water torture? Mere child's play compared to what surely awaited me."

Kyle: "It was... soap poisoning!"

Alfred: "I have since heard of people under extreme duress speaking in strange tongues. I became conscious that a steady torrent of obscenities and swearing of all kinds was pouring out of me as I screamed."

Alfred: "Aunt Clara had for years labored under the delusion that I was not only perpetually four years old, but also a girl."

Kyle: "That Christmas would live in our memories as the Christmas we were introduced to Chinese turkey."

As the movie came to a close, Alfred smiled. Kyle had been up pretty early this morning talking to his kids over the phone, and it was becoming apparent as he began to nod off at the close of the movie.

Outside, it was snowing again. Alfred smiled as his boyfriend fell asleep on his shoulder. He used the remote to turn off the TV, and then grabbed a blanket and spread it over the both of them.

This year would go down as the Christmas he prayed Kyle would agree to marry him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have no idea what this chapter is about, GO WATCH A CHRISTMAS STORY BECAUSE IT IS AMAZING!


	13. Singing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My power has been out the past few days, so no internet, so here, have three chapters on one day!

The church service had been an unexpected edition to their evening. Kyle really wasn't sure how he felt about it, but Alfred had asked him.

"I know it's a little weird, but I really like attending the different services. Hearing everyone talking about God and what the Christmas season truly means to them? It makes me feel like I'm... like I'm normal."

Kyle remembered Alfred looking off to the side as he said that, as if he was remembering something fondly.

Kyle's main memories of church hadn't been good ones. He'd probably spent too much time at the schools they set up for his aboriginal people to ever feel comfortable near a religious school. But he could also understand the feeling Alfred must have had. The few times when Scotland or Wales had quietly taken him to services away from England had been... quite pleasant. Ireland had even taken him to a few mass services when he was a young colony living in London.

So he had relented, and Alfred had smiled. Alfred had been originally settled by merchants and people who were leaving to practice their own religions, so maybe his religious connection went even deeper than Kyle could see.

They arrived and were greeted by a pastor, whom Alfred knew by name. The local Presbyterian church, Kyle noted, remembering the way he and Scotland had stood in the pews, his uncle keeping him close and out of trouble. He even remembered sitting next to him while Alistair wrote notes on his own personal religious beliefs, torn between those who had wanted him to be Catholic and those who had eventually pushed him to be a Presbyterian.

"Hm, Uncle Scot would like this place." Kyle said as they went over and sat in a pew. "I never liked much of the theology, but it always felt nice when I went to church with him."

Alfred looked up towards the ceiling. "What about the Anglican Church?"

Kyle paused. "Preferred to attend services with Uncle Owen then." He said, conscious of the fact that he shouldn't say 'Uncle Wales' in front of the average citizen. "Dad was always a little too busy, and I'd get myself in trouble, but Owen kept a hand on me and Avery and would sometimes tap tunes on my hand. I had to tap them back."

Alfred smiled. "Kept you out of trouble. What about Aunt Siobhan?"

"Mass was interesting, but the art in the churches more so." Kyle said shortly.

The service began, and soon enough they were rising and singing.

Kyle kept his voice quiet, knowing that he couldn't sing very well. Ireland had tried to teach him a few times, but she was fairly sure he was partially tone deaf. Scotland had laughed about it and told him it didn't matter. "Just sing quietly unless you're singing those bawdy drinking songs, kid. That's what I always do!"

Kyle had thought it unfair he had to sing quietly when Owen and Avery worked together, and Owen taught Avery to sing with perfection. When Alistair had learned how upset Kyle was, he had come over.

_"Kid, they don't call him the land of song for nothing. Avery takes after him a lot with that quiet nature and love of sheep. It makes sense they can both sing well too."_

_"Who do I take after?"_

_There was a long pause before Scotland responded._

_"You have a bit of each of us in you. And you sometimes remind your father of someone else entirely, his first boy."_

_The name America was never said in those days. England either got mad or depressed when he heard it, and it was better to just act like he didn't exist sometimes._

_"Although with that said, I think you have a bit more of me and your Uncle Owen than he did."_

_Kyle glanced up at Scotland, hearing the underlying tone in his voice. He knew that England only called him his son because he was the sibling with the most power, and that unlike America, his paternity was much more... in doubt._

_He had leaned up against Scotland after he said that and nodded. "Yeah, so do I."_

_Alistair had paused, and then smiled, wrapping an arm around him. "You're a good kid, Kyle."_

Kyle felt Alfred suddenly take his hand in between songs. "Hey, why are you being so quiet?" He whispered.

Kyle looked up. "Huh?"

"You're barely singing. Come on! It's a joyous occasion. People want to hear your voice!"

"No they don't, Alfred. I can't sing worth shit."

"You're always singing in the wars." Alfred said, confused.

"Yeah, those were soldier songs or drinking songs, not exactly something you need to hold a tune to be able to sing." Kyle whispered. "Wales wouldn't teach me to sing until I'd improved enough with Ireland, and she said there wasn't much hope."

The slip up, using their nation names, revealed volumes to Alfred. He paused before responding.

"You know, Uncle Scot always had the same things said against him... but the first time I ever heard him sing Loch Lomond... god, it was the most beautiful singing I'd ever heard."

Kyle heard the pastor call for them to rise and sing another song. Alfred opened the songbook to that page and stood. "Do as you will." He said.

The hymn was 'O Come All Ye Faithful', a personal favorite of Kyle's. Kyle began singing in his usual soft tone, barely above whispering.

Then he heard a short bit of laughter between the first and second verse, and turned to see a little girl grinning as she stumbled through the song. She was belting it out, not caring when she messed up.

He glanced back at Alfred, whose eyes had also found the little girl. He smiled and began the second verse.

Kyle allowed his voice to get louder as the verse continued, until he was grinning wildly as he sang the last line of the final verse. Alfred grinned as they sat down, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"That was good, Oz."

Kyle felt a slight blush come to his cheeks, even in the pew the furthest back, where almost no one would have seen the kiss. "Thanks, Al."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in my headcanons with the little colonies, America was England's son, Canada is England and France's son, and the Oceanic colonies are actually Scotland and Wales's children. New Zealand is Wales's son, and while Kyle does look a lot like my personal headcanon for Wales's appearance, he is Scotland's son, and has some of the same stubborn streaks I often give Scotland in my writing. (Although I also ship ScotWales, so you could say Oz and Zea are both their children).
> 
> Also, all of the colonies very much have parents from their native cultures, but as they are nations rather than real people, they can very easily have more than two parents in my opinion because they aren't really born in the sense we think of.


	14. Ice Skating

"It's not fair that you're better at skating than me. Your land barely has any freaking ice!"

"You do remember I live next to Antarctica, correct?" Kyle said, ignoring his bitching boyfriend.

"So what, you go ice skating with penguins?" Alfred said, clearly uneasy as he watched Kyle tie on his skates. Kyle could swear Alfred had been muttering the entire time in the car about 'don't let Matthew be there please God!'

Kyle sighed. "If you really don't want to skate, you don't have too."

Alfred suddenly turned a deep red color. "Kyle, I didn't mean that! I just... promise not to laugh?"

Kyle paused, then nodded. "Sure."

"I'm really bad at ice skating. It's why I can't play hockey against Matt. He just shoves me and over I go, sprawling onto the ice."

Kyle winced, having competed against Matthew once in hockey. "Brutal."

"I can't keep my balance worth shit, Kyle."

Kyle smiles. "No, it's okay. Come on, get your skates on."

Soon enough, Kyle was guiding his nervous boyfriend out onto the ice. Alfred stuck near the edge of the rink like it was his lifeline.

Kyle smiled, looping an arm through Alfred's. "Come on, center of the ice."

"No, no, no, no!" Alfred said, tightening his grip on the edge of the rink.

Kyle paused and smiled. "Alfred, I don't do speed skating or hockey. I'm a figure skater, and a pretty good teacher if I say so myself."

Alfred pauses and tries to make a jibe. "Awfully fat figure skater."

"Excuse me, this is a body made of pure muscle, unlike you, Mr. Muffin Top." Kyle says with a laugh, and slowly Alfred lets go of the edge, following Kyle.

They head out towards the middle, Kyle keeping him upright. "Hey, you're not half bad!"

"You're only saying that because I haven't fallen over yet. It's bound to happen."

"Hey, the first time I took the kids, Oscar didn't even make it onto the ice before he went face down. Zoe was about to bust her seams laughing."

"Are you serious?" Alfred said, not believing Kyle's story' but Kyle nodded.

"Yeah. He finally got it, and now he and Zea like to race each other. They're both speed skaters."

The tone he used was a truthful one. Alfred shook his head. "Hard to believe."

Kyle chuckled. "Zo takes after me, though. She's a little figure skater."

They did a few small loops, and Kyle grinned. "Awesome. Now, Alfred, I'm going to ask you to trust me."

"What are we going to do?" Alfred asked.

"We are going to do a figure eight. Hold my hand. I'm not going to let you fall."

Alfred felt the reassuring tone and allowed it to wash over him. He nodded, and Kyle grinned.

"Awesome. Now do as I do."

Alfred carefully followed Kyle until Kyle pulled him out of the figure eight. It was a little shaky, but it was indeed shaped like an eight.

Alfred smiled. "We did that."

"Yeah, we did." Kyle said, skating to the front of Alfred, and Alfred realized Kyle wasn't holding him up anymore.

He carefully tried to move, and Kyle nodded, slowly skating backwards. "Come on, you can do this!"

"Kyle, if I fall on my face or my ass, you're getting it when we get home." Alfred muttered, conscious of the other skaters around them.

Kyle suddenly did one of those mischievous grins he was famous for, skating just close enough to be heard without being grabbed. "Am I getting _it_ in my face or-"

"There are children here, I'd like you to refrain from-actually, I demand you refrain from finishing that sentence." Alfred said, cheeks turning scarlet once more.

Kyle laughed. "Once a puritan, always a prude, huh?"

"I'm going to get you for that one of these days." Alfred growled, but suddenly Kyle grabbed his arm, both to keep him from colliding with the edge of the rink, which he had just noticed, and to kiss him on the cheek.

"Love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never been ice skating! All inaccuracies are mine!


	15. Snowball Fight

Alfred was sitting inside sipping on a cup of coffee when something slammed into the living room window.

He was up in a flash, swearing. What was it this time? Some poor bird? A neighbor kid stumbling past the property line with their BB gun and taking a shot at his house?

He was answered instead with ice and snow slowly dripping down his window as it slowly melted, and he spotted Kyle grinning in the yard, with ready made piles of snowballs already scattered everywhere.

Another snowball came hurtling towards the window, and Alfred ran for his snow gear, slipping on coat, gloves, and boots and running outside. "Hey Ozzy, what's the big idea?!"

"Snowball fight!" Kyle screamed, and threw a snowball, which connected with Alfred's shoulder.

Alfred paused and then grinned. "Oh, you're going to get it, Oz!" He said, reaching for a few of the nearest snowballs and aiming.

Kyle ran for more, although a few of Al's connected with him, but then he dived behind a snow wall.

"Hey, no fair that you made a snow fort!"

Kyle grinned, pointing to a similar one only about six feet to Alfred's left. "I believe in a fair fight!" He said, tossing another snowball and diving behind his wall.

Alfred did the same, and soon enough they were running out and grabbing more snowballs, trying to beat the other back to their fort in order to throw.

Eventually, they had picked the yard clean of ready made snowballs, and Alfred watched Kyle hurriedly trying to make more with the snow around him, but Alfred decided to use this moment of weakness, running across the yard, and with a battle cry, he leapt over Kyle's fort and pinned the Aussie to the ground, and accidentally slamming him face first into the snow.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, ALFRED!" Kyle said as he lifted his head out of the snow, but when he turned over,he was grinning, and pulled the American down for a kiss.

Alfred was almost laughing until he felt a fistful of snow slammed into the side of his face, and he pulled back sputtering. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"THAT'S FOR SHOVING MY FACE IN THE SNOW, ASSHOLE!" Kyle roared. "Stings like shit."

Alfred paused, shaking his head. "Okay, guess I deserved that."

"Yeah. You really did." Kyle said, but then he stood up, and offered Alfred a hand. "Okay, I'm cold as fuck now. Let's go inside and take a hot shower."

Alfred accepted the hand. "That sounds like a good plan to me."


	16. Catching A Cold

Alfred knew something was wrong when Kyle woke up halfway through the night, hacking and coughing.

Opening a sleepy eye, he looked up at the Australian. "You okay, Ky?"

"I'm fine. Get back to sleep."

Alfred tried. God, he did, but every time Kyle coughed, he felt himself waking up. After having gone through all those wars together, he didn't trust a cough.

Finally, he sat up. "Kyle-"

"Al, I'm fine. It's just a-" The train of thought was interrupted by hacking, and soon enough the cough was becoming more like a bark.

"Alright, I'm not buying that now." He said, and pressed a hand to Kyle's forehead. Kyle groaned when he pulled his hand back.

"I'm not a baby, I can care for myself-"

"You've got a fever." Alfred stated, arms crossed. Kyle sighed, rolling his eyes.

"You're not going to let me rest now, are you?"

"No, you will rest, and you will not move except if you need too." Alfred began, moving pillows over towards Kyle's side of the bed to prop the Aussie up. He reached over towards the little chest that lived at the foot of the bed, pulling out more blankets and spreading them out over Kyle until Kyle grabbed his hand.

"I swear to God that if you put another blanket on me, I will murder you with my hot sweaty hands. Now you get some sleep."

Alfred grabbed another blanket and pillow for himself, but when Kyle next started coughing and he sat up and began to fuss, the Aussie looked at him with annoyance.

"Alright, I'm banishing you to the couch. It is three in the morning, and you don't need to catch this. Go and don't check on me again until morning."

"But-"

"Al, go!" Kyle said, irritated, and Alfred realized his fussing was waking Kyle up even further between coughing spells, reducing his sleep even more. So he picked up his pillow and blankets and headed out to the couch.

 

A few hours later, he woke up to hard coughing coming from the bedroom. Alfred stood up and walked over, opening the door.

Kyle had kicked off most of the blankets, and looked absolutely miserable as he lay on the bed, coughing. Hazy green eyes glanced up. "Hey."

Alfred leaned back and passed his judgement. "You look like shit."

"Feel it too." Kyle muttered, trying to sit up, and then just laying back down. "Got too hot, got too cold, etc, etc." He closed his eyes, not even bothering to open them again when Alfred set his hand on his forehead.

"You still have a fever. I'm going to get my thermometer."

"Okay." Kyle said, not even protesting. A testament to how bad he must be feeling.

Alfred took his temperature and sighed. "A hundred and four Fahrenheit."

"Ugh..." Kyle groaned. "Sickness sucks."

"Is this a national issue or just a physical illness?" Alfred asked, aware that the sensations for fevers were different when it was some sort of national issue rather than a physical one.

"Physical. Everything is going a-okay at home right now. Probably caught this because you shoved my face in the snow yesterday."

Alfred rolled his eyes. "Or because the viruses get passed around on my continent are different than the ones getting passed around on yours."

"No, definitely you shoving my face in the snow." Kyle said with a small grin, but it faded away as he started coughing again.

Alfred sighed. "I'll go get some Tylenol and food. Anything sound good to you?"

"Vegemite." Kyle said, again with one of those mischievous smiles.

"Yeah, none of that here. Toast sound good?"

"With a little bit of orange juice."

"Alright, breakfast will be arriving soon."

They ate their breakfast quietly, listening to the radio. After eating both pieces of toast (he'd tried to give up halfway through the second piece, but the glare Alfred had given him had made him finish), and taking Tylenol, he was ready to go back to sleep.

Alfred let him nap through most of the morning, and then drug him out of the room at lunchtime. He took a few more Tylenol, lounging across the couch as Alfred put on the Netflix.

They sat and watched some shows for a while, and then Kyle began to cough again. Alfred sighed.

Kyle glanced up. "It's just a cold, Al."

"During the wars-"

"We're not at war. I'll be fine, okay?"

Alfred nodded. "Okay."

After a while, Kyle paused. "You know what sounds good? Chinese food."

Alfred was surprised at that statement. "Your appetite coming back?"

Kyle lifted his head and nodded. "Yeah. General Tso's chicken sounds really good."

Alfred grinned. "Alright, I'll be back in a bit."

He thanked God as he drove out to go get some take out. Nations tended to recover fast when they were healthy, which could be good or bad. It had made what probably would have been a three day cold in a normal human only about eighteen hours for Kyle, but it had also amplified the effects of said cold.

He returned with orange chicken and General Tso's, and Kyle grinned, heading to the kitchen table with a blanket toga, but as they ate and the Australian grew more talkative, Alfred felt like rejoicing.

And when he forced a now annoyed Kyle to take his temperature again, the fever was gone.

They went to bed early that night, still tired, but Alfred felt better.

At least Kyle was healthy.


	17. Spending Time With Family

Kyle watched Alfred check his watch as they stood at the Denver airport. "They should be here by now."

"Probably still at baggage claim, Alfred. Besides, they might have waited on the plane to let other people go." Kyle reasoned.

"Not with Ivan. Mattie thinks planes are the coolest thing ever, but Ivan only wants to get where he's going and then off as soon as possible."

Kyle shrugged. "At least it's not Christmas in Moscow or Ottawa this year. I would have just stayed home."

Alfred rolled his eyes. He and Mattie always had a few days together at Christmas, alternating between who hosted and where, and usually their boyfriends got dragged along or also forced to host. "Christmas in Ottawa wasn't that bad-"

"I think I see them!" Kyle suddenly shouted, pointing towards a tall man who was half hidden in his coat, moving swiftly. Behind him trailed a slightly shorter blond in a big red hoodie loudly proclaiming 'CANADA'.

Alfred breathed a sigh of relief, heading towards them. As soon as they had exited, he half tackled Matthew. "What the hell took you so long, brother?!"

"Customs wanted to double check Ivan's visa."

The Russian made a groaning noise. "Not ideal."

"Sorry, dude. Extra security and all that jazz." Alfred began.

"Bullshit. It's because they saw my passport was Russian." Ivan responded, and Kyle and Matthew glanced at each other, sensing impending doom if an intervention didn't occur.

"Alfred, let's get to the car." Kyle said. "I can feel the TSA watching me, and it's starting to get unpleasant."

Alfred glanced back and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

Matthew made a 'whew' motion, and Kyle held back a laugh. Soon, they were all chatting as they moved towards the car through the parking garage.

Somehow, despite political tensions to the otherwise, Matt and Ivan had managed to remain a couple for over a century, a startling fact considering historical relations of the British empire, the Cold War, and modern geopolitical stances. It reminded Kyle of the antagonistic relationship between England and France. Now matter what was said, they still loved each other at the end of the day (even if they wouldn't admit it). Matt and Ivan were a pillar couple. No matter what hell they went through diplomatically, they loved each other enough to promise to always work out a personal compromise, no matter what their governments wanted. In a way, Kyle always had hoped that he and Alfred would be as close as those two were. Luckily, they had never had a strain on their relationship quite as large as that between Matthew and Ivan.

Matthew suddenly shouted "SHOTGUN!"

"DON'T DO THAT AT AN AIRPORT!" 

"Dude, its the parking garage, we're fine." Matthew said, displacing Kyle from his previously held spot, but he shrugged. Ivan shook his head, getting in behind Matthew.

As the two brothers chatted in the front seat during the drive back to the house, Kyle looked at Ivan. "So, how's the year been personally?" He asked, aware of the political chaos that none of them wanted to discuss at Christmas.

"Fine. Matthew is keeping me going like always. And you and Alfred?"

"Great there."

"I am surprised your micronations are not here. Are they at the house?"

"With New Zealand. I owe them big time for this."

A nod from the Russian. "Yes, you do."

As they chatted, Kyle thought it was funny. They were the two complete opposites of the world. One of the coldest nations and one of the hottest, but when you set aside politics, they actually got along alright.

Unlike the way the two brother suddenly did when they brought up hockey.

"Ha! Did you see the Portland Winterhawks beat the Everett Silvertips at their teddy bear toss?! Bit more of a challenge than you thought in my teams, isn't it?!"

"Oh, you want to go?! I bet you a hundred bucks that Canadian teams win both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference! And now matter how well your own teams play against each other, they're nothing compared to the ones I have waiting for you!"

"Who let them talk hockey?" Kyle whispered under his breath as the two brothers began attempting to one up each other.

"I'm afraid the blame is ours since we weren't paying attention, unfortunately." Ivan whispered back.

They finally reached the house, and Kyle about burst out of the car with Ivan, dashing into the house to escape the slowly darkening aura around Matthew.

Soon enough, each with a cup of coffee in their hands, they heard a roaring noise, and then Alfred shouting. "JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, MATTHEW, I SAID UNCLE!!!"

At that point Kyle opened the door and Ivan shouted. "Matthew, if I'm not allowed to murder him, why are you allowed to?"

"Because he's my brother!"

"Matthew, if you murder him I will steal all the necessary ingredients for pancakes from this house." Kyle added.

Matthew was off his brother and inside the house in three seconds flat. Kyle walked out and lifted Alfred up. "Are you ever going to learn not to shit talk him?"

"Not this year, apparently." Alfred muttered rubbing at his sore arms. "God, he twists hard."

"Yes. It's amazing that you continue with these attempts despite the fact that out of the thirty nine physical fights I've seen between you and Matt, you've won exactly two."

"He has some inner demon, I swear."

That night they enjoyed stacks of fluffy pancakes, courtesy of Matthew. Kyle suspected he was hiding some in case he made through on that little threat, so he could survive the two days they were staying here. Gifts between the four were exchanged. Matthew gave Kyle and Alfred the same gift as he always did.

"Bro, the gifts are supposed to be surprises. Getting maple syrup every year is-"

Kyle shot Alfred a glare, and Matthew chuckled. "Well, at least someone appreciates it."

"I have two kids. This stuff is almost as valuable as gold to them." Kyle commented. 

Ivan shook his head with a grin. Kyle presented them each with a small gift of foods from his homeland. This was what they usually got each other. Food.

It was well valued since they all had huge appetites.

Finally, after a few hours of chitchat, they all headed to bed.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect to see Ivan and Matthew popping up in the next two chapters!


	18. Lending The Other A Hat To Keep Warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While I do technically fulfill the prompt, this chapter is more of a glance at the past of Kyle and Alfred's relationship, so there is some talking about the First World War. Alternate title for this chapter is "Old Men Reminisce About War".

The morning began quietly enough, Matthew thought as he woke up in the guest bedroom of his brother's house in Colorado. Ivan was still asleep, and Matthew was content to leave him that way. The Russian hadn't been getting enough sleep lately anyhow, and Kyle and Alfred were loud enough when put together to wake up an entire circus.

So Matthew was a little surprised to find Kyle already sipping at a cup of coffee when he entered the kitchen. "Morning."

"Morning. I put some blueberries in the fridge to defrost last night. Thought maybe blueberry pancakes might be nice."

"You did it because they're Alfred's favorite." Matthew said with a smile, taking a cup of coffee for himself and taking a few sips before nodding. "Good coffee."

"Thanks."

He nodded, and soon enough he was whipping up pancake batter. The first rays of predawn light were coming over the landscape, casting things in a faint grey glow. "How long have you been awake, Oz?"

A shrug. Matthew paused. "Did you and Al get into a fight?"

"No. Had a nightmare. Needed to think for a while."

"A nightmare about?"

"Gallipoli."

Matthew almost whirled at that. Kyle was gazing out the window with tired eyes. It was hard to remember how young he was, at least mentally. Any history he might have held before England had arrived had been wiped away, leaving a blank slate for the empire to work with. As far as Kyle knew, Gallipoli had been part of the first war he had fought as an independent nation.

And what a part it had been.

Matthew rubbed his aching head as he thought back to Ypres. "So watching the sunrise? Is it helping?"

"The coffee's doing more good than the sunrise." Came the response, and then a sigh. "God, I've almost been dating that idiot for a hundred years now. Can you believe it?"

A laugh. "Yeah. Since 1917, right?"

"From Turkey to Europe I went, and boy, when he arrived... ah, that was a bittersweet time to absolutely fall for him, and fall hard."

Matthew chuckled. "At least it wasn't like me and Ivan..."

Kyle glanced up. "Huh?"

"I had gone west into Alaska during Alfred's civil war. The noise bothered me, so there I went. That's when I met Ivan. I was still a colony then, you know."

Kyle nodded.

"God, we ran around together for about three years, with him occasionally going south to express his support to the Union and such, until the war ended. Then he and I went back north. He was looking to sell Alaska, and he offered it to me. I wanted it because I would be right across the sea from him, and being there was like being with him. But as a colony, England had to buy it, and he refused. So he went to his next buyer."

"Alfred."

"Alfred. He was the one who had bullied France and England about their neutral position during the war, insisting on the reunification of the states under the Union. Alfred was glad to take him up on the offer. And so, months before I would have gained my independence, they finalized the deal, and I was left behind without so much as a kiss for a promise that he would keep me in his thoughts."

Kyle raised an eyebrow at that. "Not even a kiss?"

"I was England's colony and property. He didn't really want to piss him off. Hell, England didn't even know I'd even met Russia during all those years, although I expect old Uncle Scot had his suspicions."

Kyle chuckled. "Together since the US Civil War, without even a kiss. Makes me and Alfred seem like a fast tracked match in comparison."

"Only because you had to kiss the idiot to get across the point that you liked him." Matthew said with a laugh as the first rays of the sun came over the horizon.

"I was a bit dense, but he was denser."

"You are right about that." Matthew said, returning to the pancake batter. "Set the table, will you?"

When America and Russia woke up, breakfast had been prepared.

 

  
They had decorated the place to the max for the 'awkward holiday affair' as Alfred had nicknamed it, or and Kyle and Matthew called it, the 'Former Colonies and their dates Christmas Party'. Guests would start arriving soon enough, as tomorrow was the big day.

"I don't know why I let you rope me into this, Mattie." Alfred grumbled. "This started out as a commonwealth thing, and I'm not a member of the Commonwealth."

"Because we expanded it to include former colonies. I was tired of automatically getting railroaded whenever it was North America's turn to host."

A chuckle rose from Kyle. "Yeah, all the rules about railroading got thrown to the side for you two."

"Don't be so smug. Oceania hosts next year, and word is you got chosen." Ivan said as he lifted a garland over something.

Australia froze. "If you don't attend the December commonwealth meeting you can't be elected to host the party, unless you're part of the North American region."

Matthew glared at Ivan. "You weren't supposed to tell him."

Kyle stood there, and Alfred watched him process this information, suddenly bristling. "Alright, which of the kids stood in for me at the meeting?"

"Wy. Got the feeling she was a bit miffed her dad was spending the holidays with his boyfriend rather than her. And New Zealand seconded the nomination."

Kyle groaned. "I swear to god..."

Alfred snorted. "I guess whatever favors you owe him for this month off of child rearing are started to be paid back."

"I'm gonna punch that kiwi when they show up here tomorrow." Kyle groaned, setting another decoration down.

 

  
Later that night, they drove out to town to visit a restaurant. As they walked along the sidewalk after eating, laughing and looking at the lights, Kyle noticed something.

"Alfred, where the fuck is your hat?"

"Didn't need one!" The American said, which Kyle knew was a bunch of bullshit.

He rolled his eyes and waited. Slowly those ears started to turn bright pink.

Ivan and Matthew were a short ways ahead, completely oblivious. A strong gust of wind went by, and Kyle stopped Alfred.

"Alright, I have a hood on my coat. You are wearing this." He snapped, yanking off his beanie that showed his flag and shoving it over Alfred's ears.

"Kyle, what are you-"

"Your ears will thank me later, even if your ego doesn't." Kyle said, snapping up his own hood and tightening it around his face.

There was a pause, and then a laugh. "Hah! You put your mark on me. Just like the winter of 1918-1919, except in reverse."

"Huh?"

"Don't you remember?" Alfred said with a smile. "You had stepped outside to take a smoke break."

"Oh." Kyle said, closing his eyes and thinking back to that day.

_Kyle had stormed past the others when he saw them bring Ottoman in. Let New Zealand recount the horrors of Gallipoli. He wanted nothing to do with this._

_While he had finally told Canada what had happened in that cursed place, he could still feel the ache that campaign had left inside him, and the scar that was barely beginning to heal across his nose._

_He had just lit a cigarette when he heard the sound of boots walking through the snow.  
"You don't have the right type of jacket to be out here."_

_Kyle glanced up at the smiling American. "Needed to clear my head and feel the cold." He said, taking a long drag and closing his eyes._

_"Kyle, you talked to Matt and Arthur. Maybe you should talk to-"_

_The Australian shot him a glare, and Alfred backed down. "Sorry. Not my place."_

_"I appreciate the concern, Al. I just... I just want to go home. I want this bloody war to be done."_

_The American nodded. "So do I."_

_They stood there for a few more seconds, and then Kyle felt arms wrap around him. "If you're not careful, England will see." He muttered._

_"Still haven't told him, huh?" Alfred said._

_"No. Still considers me a baby. I might be independent, but our relationship could be hard to take any further if he really takes objection to it."_

_Alfred snorts. "Oh, I'm a bad influence, huh?" A chuckle. "Well, he's bound to be out here shortly. I think I'll talk to him about it."_

_And before Kyle could object, he heard a door open. Alfred half draped his coat over Kyle before waltzing towards the delegation of siblings from the U.K. He grabbed Arthur's arm and pulled him aside. Scotland shooed Wales away and stood nearby, listening._

_The first time both his eyes and Arthur's eyes darted towards Kyle, he knew Alfred had just told them. He wished that the American's coat wasn't so distinctive as he tried to ignore the biting cold that he remained unaccustomed to._

_He waited for a scuffle or a fight to break out, but instead he saw England suddenly nod, and then walk towards him. He stiffened, especially when Alfred stopped Alistair from following._

_Arthur came right up to Kyle and sighed. "Him? Out of everyone in the world, you had to choose him?"_

_Kyle could still feel the power in those limbs, the strength of an empire. Arms that had held him firm for years. There was a pressure to cave into that sense of power. A pressure that had been forced into him for years due to his colony status._

_He resisted it, standing tall. "I always reminded you of him anyhow."_

_There was a soft intake of breath from the Brit, and then a soft chuckle. "Scotland tell you that?"_

_Australia felt nervous as England chuckled, and then he smiled._

_"Well, you have that same sort of independent streak as he did. You just manifested it differently. If you could really be convinced to break it off with him, you already would have said so. Anything I say to oppose the idea will just make you cling to it more firmly."_

_He turned to leave, and Australia spoke._

_"So you're... you're okay with it?"_

_England didn't face him again, but his voice spoke in volumes enough._

_"I know my own son well enough to know he would never hurt you on purpose. And I know you well enough to know that if he does hurt you, you aren't going to let him do it a second time. If this is what you want, it is what you want. Just... be smart."_

_"Love you too, dad." Kyle said. Another chuckle rose from the Englishman, and then he continued to walk towards his older brother._

_He and Scotland conferred for a few moments, and then Scotland looked at America as England headed to find Wales. Kyle couldn't tell what he was saying, but America nodded solemnly._

_Then Scotland patted him on the shoulder and turned to give Kyle a big grin along with a thumbs up before turning and heading after his two brothers._

_Alfred walked over and chuckled, lighting his own cigarette. "Well, that went a lot better than it might of."_

_"Next time, jackass? Give me more than three seconds of warning!" Kyle snapped, storming inside, still wearing Alfred's jacket._

_When New Zealand and France saw that, they both smirked._

"I guess it's a bit like that day." Kyle said.

"My jacket made it clear to England I loved you. Now your hat makes it clear to the world you love me." Alfred said, flashing him a vibrant grin.

"How is it I manage to boost your ego when I was trying to bruise it?" Kyle said dryly, but Alfred just laughed, grabbing his hand and holding it all the tighter as they continued their walk.

And when Ivan pointed out the Australian flag, the American just chuckled as they got into the car. Kyle shook his head and smiled.

_My idiot American indeed._


	19. Temporary Chapter (And Apologies Given)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which your author asks for some forgiveness and promises they'll finish the series at some point in the near future (such as mid-February at the latest).

Hello, readers. It is your very tired and exhausted author.

 Due to several reasons, including depression, anxiety, sheer stress at things happening on my farm (I live on a farm and have several responsibilities there), and simply the fact that I basically overworked myself trying to get these out for you guys on top of everything else I want to write, you're not getting all your shorts by Christmas. I'll try to get these out by the end of January at the latest, but please understand that I put out over 100k of published work alone this year, and that doesn't count all the unfinished projects, drafted ideas, and everything else I had to do in order to graduate high school and start college.

So please understand your author intends to finish it. They also just want to keep from falling over dead.

Tomorrow I will be keeping to two of my Christmas promises. The last chapter of my fic "Always With You" will be published, and an AmeTralia fic of a much longer and higher standard, which might be up a little later due to having to format it, and also give it a title... (ITS AWESOME IT JUST DOESNT HAVE AN OBVIOUS TITLE TO ME IDK HELP).

Anyhow, merry Christmas, happy holidays, happy Hanukah, or whatever you may be celebrating. I'll see you all tomorrow, I hope!

-A very tired, very thankful, and very sleepy @hips_of_steel 


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